If your days are anything like ours, they’re packed with calls, emails, questions, problems, deadlines, and lots of meetings.  Slow down to wonder, ‘Hey, what would happen if...’, and boom! the treadmill kicks up three levels. 

The THINK! Workbook is your pause button.  It’s packed with questions and checklists that will get your creative juices flowing and help you think about your future in new ways.  Are you headed in the right direction?  Find out.  Then write a personal definition of success, set goals that excite you, and identify the people who can help you reach them. 

Get the equivalent of 10 personal coaching sessions with us at a fraction of the cost and start to create the income, opportunities, and growth spurts that will help you build the career or business of your dreams. 

So make a pot of coffee, sharpen a pencil, find a comfortable chair in a quiet spot, and come THINK! with us.

Publisher:  New Heights Media, Inc.
Publication Date:  April 2009
ISBN-13:  978-1-891019-24-1
69 pages 
Series:  Breakthrough Skills Resources

LET’S GO!
Nothing compares to the air on a mountain above tree line. If you’re a hiker, you know what we mean.
If not, picture aching legs, sore from lifting you thousands of feet over rocks, roots, and branches, through mud and streams. You’ve probably tripped a few times and been whipped in the face by a branch or two. For hours, maybe days, you’ve been climbing, staring at tree after tree.

But at some point, the trees began to thin out and get shorter until suddenly, they were gone. Stepping
up into the clearing, you stop. There’s a quiet so deep you clear your throat just to be sure you haven’t lost your hearing. Below, you can see how far you’ve come. Around you, neighboring peaks are visible. Beyond them, the range. Then, the horizon. The summit may or may not be in view, but you know it’s there, and it’s closer than before. You know too that every sweaty, heart-pounding step you’ve taken to get here has been absolutely necessary. After all that time in the trees, you finally have your bearings. And the air…clean, fresh, head-clearing crisp. Above tree line, there is a pause. And with it, quiet, fresh air, perspective. The climb has been tough, but the view is spectacular.

ARE YOU ENGAGED?
What makes you wake up without an alarm clock? Rush out of the shower searching for a pen to write down an idea? Get so engaged in your work that you forget to eat lunch? Some people immediately point to the content of their work: “I can edit/paint/cook/draw blueprints for hours on end and not feel tired.”

Others say things like…

* “New projects, new people, travel…all the time. I can’t stand routine.”
* “Hyper-challenge. I like building teams or businesses from scratch, turning bad or even seemingly hopeless situations around. But once I get there, I’m itching for the next ‘impossible’ goal.”
* “It doesn’t sound ambitious, but I like routine and a predictable schedule in my job. I love knowing exactly what’s expected of me…what I have to do to be recognized and succeed.”
* “Working with a team that’s so tight that we spend time together, even outside of the office.”
* “Organizing! Making an office or a team run on all cylinders and really hum with efficiency.”
* “An atmosphere of respect and concern for the company’s employees and customers.”
* “A must-achieve goal, especially as I get closer to reaching it.”
* “Being able to hang up the phone, knowing I really helped someone is what makes work worthwhile. It sounds corny, but sometimes that actually gives me goosebumps.”
* “The freedom of sales. Selling keeps me out in front, not behind the scenes. I would die sitting in an office all day.”

Set these comments in a saucepan and let them simmer for a while. When all else boils away, what’s left? For the people who say things like: “I’ve got to matter to the people I serve” or “I’ve got to enjoy the people I work with,” relationships are paramount. It’s as if they’re saying, “I do my best work when my business relationships are strong and positive.”

For people who say, “I need freedom and flexibility” and “I need structure, routine, and predictability,” the structure of their days is their principal concern.

People who say things like, “I’ve got to believe in the company” and “I’ve got to know the company believes in me” are saying, “The culture and atmosphere of the company I work for really matter to me.”

People looking for “hyper-challenge” and exhilarating goals thrive on the thrill of the chase.

What about you? What gets you so engrossed in your work that you lose track of time? When, where, and how do you do your best work? Before you just shrug your shoulders and go back to work…

HIT THE PAUSE BUTTON!
If you’re like us, you spend your days running from task to task, answering calls and emails, fixing problems, handling whatever comes your way. And with your best energy focused on the tasks that scream the loudest and demand attention, the important tasks—the meetings, phone calls, and new projects that could help you make real progress—get put on hold. When someone asks you what you want out of your work, your natural response is something like “I don’t have time to stare at my navel! I’ve got too much work to do!”

If you live in this mode, you know just how draining it is, but there’s a greater cost: all that adrenaline and momentum keep you running in the trees, unable to get your bearings and figure out if you’re headed in the right direction. A client once bottom lined it for us this way: “The trouble is, there’s no time to think! I just run from meeting to meeting and deadline to deadline. I’m keeping up with what I’ve got to do, but not making any real progress. Then again, I can’t really say that… because I’ve had no time to actually think about it!”

One day, though, something will stop you.

WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS EXCERPT OF THE THINK! WORKBOOK.  PLEASE DON’T LET THIS BE THE END!  BE SURE TO GET YOUR COPY OF THIS POWERFUL RESOURCE FOR BUILDING YOUR NEXT CAREER OR BUSINESS BREAKTHROUGH!